Ways About Things
by Gregg Landsman
Summary: Breath of Fire 2:  During a cheerful event, Ryu and Nina realize something about their relationship.


Breath of Fire 2 and all associated characters are the property of Capcom. All rights reserved. This is practice, not profit. Enjoy and review, I need the ego boost.

A fic which I don't see written very often. Mainly romance. A bit sappy, and with some mature themes. Enjoy.

****

Ways About Things

Chapter 1:

Thoughts

_________

The bird squawks loudly as the vines hold her down, looking ahead and locking eyes with the blonde-haired, winged woman.

Which the bird dwarfs, easily, somewhere around thirty feet tall.

"Mina," Nina de Wyndia says, reassuringly placing her hands on the bird's beak, "Just relax. Don't struggle and it will be over in a moment."

The bird trembles, the vines tightening as the trees about her shake.

Nina turns as the blue-haired man runs over, a bandage on his arm, a needle in his right hand.

"Ryu, with this work?", Nina asks, her voice shaking with fear, "If we delay anymore, I think she'll go into shock."

"I know," Ryu Bateson says, "Just keep holding her. I need to find a vein."

He feels around the bird's neck as she struggles, Nina holding onto her head tightly, whispering reassuringly in her ear.

He grunts, jamming the needle into the neck.

The bird shrieks, tossing Nina away and to the ground, Ryu gasping and running over to her prone form.

Mina begins thrashing about, eyes glowing, shredding the vines as she collapses to the ground, light wisping off her prone form.

Ryu runs over to Nina, helping her sit up, looking her in the eyes as she groans, wincing.

"Nina?", he demands, "Nina, are you hurt?"

"Just…bruised," she groans, "Mina…is Mina…?"

He turns…and sees that where the bird was, there is no a naked, young teenage girl with black hair and white wings draped about her.

Ryu helps Nina up, the two walking over to the prone girl…

And Mina de Wyndia moans, her wings shifting about her…

And Nina falls to her knees, gathering her sister into her arms, giving off a long, relieved breath.

"Mina," she whispers, "Mina…oh thank Ladon, Mina…"

Mina moans, opening her eyes…and smiles.

"Sister…?"

Nina nods, holding her tightly.

"It's over," Nina says, "It's finally over…"

She looks to her side, as Ryu kneels next to them…

And Nina grabs him by the collar, pulling him over and passionately kissing him on the lips.

His hands spasm, his eyes going wide as she ends the kiss…

"Thank you, Ryu," Nina says, turning her attention back to her now-sleeping sister, "She must be exhausted."

"I'll get Spar to warp us back to Township," Ryu says, "We'll take her back to Windia tomorrow."

Nina nods, saying nothing as she stands, shakily, holding her sleeping sister in her arms.

The vines wrap around the ground beneath them, forming into a circle. And the circle glows, and they disappear.

It's five years since the fall of the Church of Evarai and the defeat of Evans.

Five years of changes and other things.

Ryu lies on his bed as the night rolls on, eyes closed but not sleeping.

He's thinking.

Thinking about everything that's happened. A few days ago, Bow left Township to move in with his girlfriend in Hometown.

He couldn't help laughing that entire night. The thought of Bow living with a girl. He never thought that would happen.

Spar has become a Wise Tree and is one with the forest outside of Township.

Jean is the Prince of Simaforte. Everyone elected Petape as the Queen. Jean went along with it fine.

Just about everyone left. Went somewhere or another. Rand started a religious sect in the Urkan plains devoted to one of the old Gods, Myria. Katt went off to find more of her clan, the Woren. Sten went back to Highfort and married the princess.

All in all, it's just him, Nina, and Yua in Township. Oh, there's the occasional boarder and there's plenty of people in the town.

But it's mostly just him and Nina…

He sighs, lying back…and sits up as the door knocks, instinctively knowing who it's going to be.

He jumps out of bed, opening the door and smiling as he sees a tired Nina there.

He gathers her into his arms, looking her in the eyes, leaning forward and kissing her softly, slowly on the lips, her hands sliding against his chest as he pulls her into the room.

She moans, kicking the door closed as he pushes her back against wooden boards. Their tongues move against each other, her hands running up his chest and around his shoulders. Her feathers ruffle, her bare foot sliding up the door…

And they end the kiss, breathing heavily, Nina leaning back against the door, pulling off his hands from the waist of her white, closed night robe.

And he comes to the conclusion that he did something _very_ wrong.

"Nina…I'm sorry," he says, stepping back.

She nods, smiling faintly, pulling her night robe even tighter, making sure it's definitely closed.

"I…it's alright," she says with a nervous giggle, "I…well, Mina is doing fine."

"Good," he says, sitting on his bed.

She walks over to the bed, sitting next to him and fidgeting.

"So…why are you here?", he asks, keeping his hands to himself with visible effort, "Did you want to…talk?"

She leans against him, resting her head on his shoulder, some of her long blonde hair tickling his bare back.

"Thank you for helping Mina," she whispers, "I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't help her."

"You shouldn't thank me," he says, wrapping an arm around her slender waist, "I wasn't sure it would work. It was just a really…I didn't know what would happen, but I had to try _something._"

She nods, smiling. Lying back on the bed, she sighs, curling up on the blanket and smiling playfully as her head rests on the pillow.

She reaches out, wrapping her fingers around his hand, pulling him down.

"Nina…"

"Yes?"

"Mina hurt you. Where?"

"Just a little all over," she says, "I'm fine now. But just tired."

"Ah…"

"But Mina's using my bed, and Yua's watching over her," Nina says as he lies down next to her, "I want to stay with you, tonight."

He nods, pulling her over and brushing her lips with his, wrapping his arms around her.

"I like this," she sighs, snuggling against him, "I like being here."

He runs his hands up her back, against the part where her wings sprout from her shoulders…and she shudders, moaning, her legs shifting against his.

_Right…they told me the wings were sensitive…_

He smiles, kissing her on the forehead, then down to the bridge of her nose. His fingers trace over the feathers of her wings, between the feathers as her hands grip the sheets, her eyes clenching shut as she moans louder.

"Ryu…stop, please."

"Are you sure?", he asks, rolling her onto her back, leaning over her.

He kisses her deeply, intertwining his fingers with hers, her body moving underneath him, moving right and left, her knees buckling.

"Y…yes," she whispers, "I just want to sleep…I don't want Mina to hear us."

"Wouldn't be the first time," he says with a smile.

She blushes.

"I'm surprised you remember," she says, "It was five years ago."

"You have a way of saying goodbye," he says, rolling onto his back, rolling her onto her side, "I remember all the details too, Nina"

"I was seventeen, you were sixteen," she says, "And we were asleep before anything could really happen. I just needed someone to hold me."

"I know…I've felt like that, to," he says, holding her tightly, "Tomorrow morning. We'll go tomorrow morning."

She nods, sighing, wrapping her arm around his chest.

"Nina?", he asks.

She looks up.

"Yes, Ryu?"

He opens his mouth, to say something…and sighs, running his hand up and down her back.

"I'm glad for you."

She smiles, resting her head on the shared pillow, and falls to a relieved sleep.

He sighs, again, kissing her on the cheek.

"Good night," he says, pulling up the covers over them, and falls asleep with the woman he loves in his arms.


End file.
